Łabandzi Śpiew: guitar post-rock

Transmission Zero - Bridges (2021)

czwartek, 23 kwietnia 2026

Transmission Zero - Yes. And I Would Do It Again (2026)

Transmission Zero is a band I grew extremely attached to over the years. Hailing from the city I live in, they were the first local post-rock outfit I knew and decided to support. Even if the band has changed immensely since then, the feelings stayed. And I'm very happy to say that their third album proves their versatile ability to create immersive post-rock compositions. And also angry ones.

Local Hero that opens the album is a somewhat misleading track: it is slower, built on the atmosphere and the Poles quickly state that this time, it's not the case. The Kids' Gloves Are Off are such a perfect single track: the composition is not easy, meanders from rapid cascades into slower fragments and back, but the first thought that brings to your mind is "how a post-rock song can have such a punk energy?!" And when I look at the cover art and the whole visual identification around the album, I can see this again: the subtle post-rock aesthetics is replaced with shouting, bright-colored, California punk-rock like images. I see it and I hear it. Something's changed.

The frantic drums at No Such Thing as a Fair Fight or the incredible flow of A Devil You Do further prove the way the artists chose to follow from now on. No wonder the band themselves state the following: "This might be our third record, but it feels like a >second debut< for us". And finally, the titles themselves suggest that Transmission Zero are rebelling against the society, the human nature and, I guess, against being ashamed of anything you've done and you feel proud about. Cheers to that!

Yes. And I Would Do It Again costs 9 EUR.

Check: The Kids' Gloves Are Off

Country: Poland

Genre: guitar post-rock

Transmission Zero - Transmission Zero (2019)

czwartek, 2 kwietnia 2026

BRUECKEN - years that answer (2026)

One of the most interesting new instances of the classic, guitar-oriented post-rock music comes from Germany. At the end of February, the Oldenburg-based BRUECKEN released their third album and it's some bloody good guitar music.

The album is filled with guitar compositions that are more melodic than atmospheric and can appeal to the fans of the good, ole' post-rock. But they also include a range of other sonic decoration, like the ethereal elements in Periapsis or soft vocals in Signs of Spring that can satisfy all fans. I really like that the massive compositions, first of all Dissolving, where you can feel the weight of the guitar sound while still enjoy the ever-changing melodies share the album space with some airy beauties that function basically as ways of appreciation of each sound and every note created.

The name of the band is no coincidence. Just like bridges do (bruecken means bridges in German), the band is all about uniting. Let me quote the artists: "We believe in the power of 1music, friendship, empathy and solidarity and stand firmly against all forms of discrimination". I'm cosigning this message with both of my hands. And hey, we have our man in the line up as David Barteczko plays guitar since the establishment of the band!

years that answer costs 9 EUR.

Check: Dissolving

Country: Germany

Genre: classic post-rock

Label: Moment of Collapse Records

Monotheism - Reveal (2019)

czwartek, 12 lutego 2026

monotheism - Mantra (2025)

Three masked individuals from a far away country of South Korea bring another near-divine (and very short) album to my speakers. 7 years (!) after their last EP (also mentioned in here), they come back with this trance-inducing, spiritual and mind-blowingly noisy release that is entitled Mantra but also IS a mantra at the same time.

"We play the resonance of the divine. Three waves become one mantra", they state and they follow by explaining the role of each of the three tracks on the EP. The noisy guitar sounds first let us connect with the divine resonance, then find the origins of all sounds and finally get lost within the sound itself. The aggressive-sounding guitars are most certainly NOT what one would imagine when reading a description like this, but I can assure you that the flow is there and it can take anyone with it towards the sonic awakening.

Mantra costs 5 USD.

Check: Cycle

Country: South Korea

Genre: noisssssy post-rock

:facebook:
:instagram:

środa, 23 lipca 2025

Oak - EP (2025)

Oak is both a tree and a music band from France. As one could guess, the artists are very closely rooted (haha) to the allegory provided by the band's name, stating, amon other things, that it was "planted in 2009". It's been a while now and Oak don't have a massive discography so it's always a good thing that they decided to show something to the world with this year's EP called EP.

"Oak has not yet reached its canopy" is another of quotes form the band and I can't help but wonder what that will look like when it finally happens. Because the little material we have suggests that there is a huge potential for massive, atmospheric post-rock sound somewhere in Oak's core. The EP is short, even if the second track reaches some impressive time stamp, so it's very difficult to access, but I like what I hear. The guitar-oriented, classic post-rock doesn't really seek tons of melodies, rather it's focused on the heaviness of the sound and this is something I appreciate very much. I will keep my eyes on this one (another one with so many fantastic ones around!) French post-rock collective.

EP costs whatever you want to pay.

Check: Fear Carries the Grace of Stillness

Country: France

Genre: heavy post-rock

Label: ITAWAK RECORDS

czwartek, 8 maja 2025

Pictures From Nadira - Bright Lights and Tired Streets (2025)

Another band that get better and better with every release is the German Pictures From Nadira. Their third album comes as "a sonic world full of melancholy, vastness, and fleeting memories" translated into guitar-oriented post-rock that balances the melodic and the dark faces of the genre.

The band describes their music as "massive walls of sound and fragile melodies allow the listener to partake in the tearing down of soulful silence in chaos and utopia." This album is more dark and massive than melodic and funky. Which I appreciate. As the title suggests, it feels like a night landscape of a city that is covered in heavy silence, but the lights are still on and life can be felt existing somewhere close. The homogeneous heaviness of the guitar sound is very close to the best post-rock examples of the overwhelming music.

The flow of the album is near perfect. The torrents of sound feel like dark waters of a big river (from the title of the closing track, I presume it's Danube) flowing around you to an unknown destination and you don't even know when they catch you in a way that cannot be fought against.

Bright Lights and Tired Streets costs 7 EUR.

Check: Absence

Country: Germany

Genre: dark post-rock

Am Fost La Munte Și Mi-a Plăcut - La Vale (2022)

czwartek, 13 marca 2025

Am Fost La Munte Și Mi-a Plăcut - I Went to the Mountain (2025)

The Romanian post-rockers are one of my favorite bands making the melodic, guitar-heavy kind of the genre (can you tell by the number of times they already appeared on this blog?). And now as the blog is back and the band is back with a new album, we both meet so I can enjoy the well-crafted essence of the post-rock fun.

The band's fifth album shows their evolution towards more progressive sounds with the strong "inclination towards a barefaced, riff-led take on the music [the band] love". The artists also point at some post-metal and stoner elements in their compositions, but I'd say they are not that noticeable to me. I still feel like the focus on the melodies and the love for what the guitars can do is predominant in their music (even if it's slightly heavier). Good, that's what I like about them.

There is one change I noticed and I don't like. The titles of the tracks (and the album as well, translating part of their head-scratching band name) are now in English. I'm not sure about that. I like the mystery the Romanian ones delivered each time I listened to their albums, but I guess the artists wanted to be more approachable for the "normal" listeners. Nevertheless, a solid album filled with well-balanced tracks.

I Went to the Mountain costs 10 USD.

Check: We Hold Each Other at Current

Country: Romania

Genre: guitar post-rock

Label: dunk!records

Am Fost La Munte Și Mi-a Plăcut - La Deal (2019)

Am Fost La Munte Și Mi-a Plăcut - S-a Rezolvat. Nu Se Poate.(2017)

środa, 19 lutego 2025

Van Gogh Season - all's right with the world. (2024)

Sometimes there are bands I don't think a lot about, but each time they release something new, I discover them anew with a "I really like those guys!" thought. The Italians from Van Gogh Season (for whom this is, I believe technically speaking a debut album) with their lively, multi-layered guitar post-rock is certainly one of those bands.

It is pretty cool when a post-rock band sounds like the guys there have fun making it. The Italians' music is so diverse, while always being within the rigid forms of the genre, that it certainly feels that way. There seems to be a space to breath for every instrument and every approach to music. The melodic, almost pop rock parts border the more atmospheric ones, the piano lines carry the compositions from the very beginning and the slower pieces are as interesting as the faster ones.

Another thing is that the band's post-rock sounds very much carefree and optimistic, the atmosphere that perfectly fits the album's title. It's beautiful like a sunny day and happiness which is not that common. I won't say it's my favourite approach to the genre, but I appreciate something fresh and new.

all's right with the world. costs 7 EUR.

Check: from then, to now

Country: Italy

Genre: multi-layered post-rock

Van Gogh Season - Versus (2021)

Van Gogh Season - Van Gogh Season, Pt. 2 (2019)

środa, 29 stycznia 2025

black particles - a path in entropy (2024)

In post-rock music, I look for one of three things: either the overpowering melancholia, or the overwhelming guitar heaviness or the energetic blizzard of melodies and fast pace. The Hungarian outfit of black particles redefined the last one with a fantastic album a path in entropy released last November. It's a blast that should never stop.

There is not a second wasted, the band instantly goes to the fast-paced, pure energy kind of music. It is very melodic, but there is no space for idle guitar intros and gentle weeping, it's the juicy tempo from the very beginning. I wanted to pause to grab a coffee, but I was taken by the album's flow and simply couldn't. Luckily, the sound itself is filled with caffeine that makes your body awaken and energized. Especially when you get to the torrent of guitars entitled the stranger in the mirror. This all makes it clear that the musicians have background in post-hardcore, screamo music as the energy is very similar but translated into well-structured, guitar-based compositions. I love it.

a path in entropy costs 6.66 EUR.

Check: the stranger in the mirror

Country: Hungary

Genre: energetic post-rock

black particles - loss function (2022)

Black Particles - Wave Function Collapse (2020)

czwartek, 16 stycznia 2025

There's a Light & Noir Reva - Anam Cara (2024)

Two German (mostly) instrumental bands released a split album back in November and brought as a healthy dose of good guitar post-rock. The better known There's a Light from Lahr and their compatriots, Noir Reva, from Koblenz made sure to fill this short release with some juicy stuff.

The first part belongs to There's a Light, who composed their songs with a lot of post-rock aspects: the soft guitar dancing (I don't like this that much), the heavier guitar crushes (I like them very much), the melodic story-telling and the nostalgic atmosphere. The second track, Aporia, surprises twice: the first notes sound almost like minimalist chip tune, but it eventually grows into a full-fledged post-rock composition until it is joined by, it's the second surprise, almost... progressive rock-like vocals. I think it all works together pretty well.

The second part from Noir Reva shows that the lesser known band is very able to make interesting music. Their compositions are faster, more complex (with some interesting samples in the background I think) and catchier. The energy is pretty contagious and it's difficult no to dance to Svartur. Which is great, but in Noir Reva's case I do believe the faster the better. as the closing track is one that my mind completely ignored every time I listened to the EP.

Anam Cara costs 4.99 EUR.

Check: Aporia

Country: Germany

Genre: guitar post-rock

Label: Broken Youth Records

:bandcamp (There's a Light):

:facebook (There's a Light):

:instagram (There's a Light):

:bandcamp (Noir Reva):

:facebook (Noir Reva):

:instagram (Noir Reva):

:soundcloud (Noir Reva):

wtorek, 4 lipca 2023

Emphasis - Lazaret (2023)

This is the fourth album in the band's history, but I have to say that I'd never heard of the Croatian Emphasis. Meanwhile, the outfit is really fluent at combining post-rock music with heavier, post-metal elements and they prove it on their new album called Lazaret.

The experienced outfit (they've been around at least since 2007) creates guitar-oriented instrumental soundscapes that strike with dense, moody atmosphere and puts angry, shouting post-metal vocals on top of them. These metal vibes can also be heard in the guitars as well, in some places, like in The Gray Man, the clearly post-rock compositions suddenly get stormier and heavier only to get back to the moody instrumental music again. The post-rock nature is only underlined by the inclusion of voice samples that add to the story-telling side of the music. But the strength of this music lies in the perfect balance between the overwhelming post-metal and moody post-rock and this balance is best audible in Flood the Earth where the extremely heavy music gradually takes over the spot lights and offers a fantastic performance.

Lazaret costs 7 EUR.

Check: Flood the Earth

Country: Croatia

Genre: blackened post-rock

Label: Geenger Records

środa, 14 czerwca 2023

DIMWIND - The Futility of Breathing (2023)

Two Swedish artists, Andreas Hansen and Jonas Eriksson make music together as DIMWIND. The second album, The Futility of Breathing, follows the 2021 debut Slow Wave Violence with a heavy blast of instrumental guitar music.

They claim that their music "strive(s) to provoke both reflection and empowerment" while the album is devoted to "exploring a state of grief after losing a loved one". And this is further fueled by a personal tragedy that hit one of the artists, making the whole music experience even more honest and poignant. They express the theme with a heavy take on post-rock music with a multitude of metal music references. The metal's traditional guitar work meets the post-rock-like compositions that emanate the might of the heavy music with a hint of melancholy all over the place.

The Futility of Breathing costs 5 EUR.

Check: Days Subside Ablaze

Country: Sweden

Genre: guitar post-rock

Where Mermaids Drown - And the Raging Winds Do Blow (2021)

środa, 26 kwietnia 2023

where mermaids drown - Reminisce (2023)

It's been already two years since the French band where mermaids drown showed their first short album called And the Raging Winds Do Blow and what a debut it was! Now it's time for the artists, after a great gig at last year's dunk!festival, to prove that they belong to the most exciting new post-rock outfit in Europe.

On their new album, the band explores the way the relationships between humans are built and how they die, making room for creating life-long memories. And their approached the theme with a set of already-proved tools they are really good at: creating very moody, very atmospheric post-rock that is ready to serve slower, moodier peaces that lead to loud and massive fragments of guitar bliss. I like dividing post-rock into two categories: the more guitar-riff-melodies kind and the atmosphere-is-crucial one; where mermaids drown seem to be a perfect bridge over the two. One can't deny the thickness of the music layers here, but there's a good deal of guitar melodies (those faster and slower as well) - a really well-balanced album.

Reminisce costs 10 EUR.

Check: Rio Plata

Country: France

Genre: atmospheric post-rock

środa, 8 marca 2023

DDENT - Ex Auditu (2023)

Three years after their last full-length album, the French post-rockers Louis Lambert of DDENT is back. This time, it's only a short EP, but it's always a treat to listen to their well-written instrumental music.

The EP called Ex Auditu, according to its Spotify title at least, may only be the first part of some longer whole and it's something to keep in mind. In those three tracks, Lambert included a whole lot of dense and heavy post-rock atmosphere that is mainly created by the loud, but not too loud, guitar sounds. It pairs well with the overall slow pace that makes the whole thing feel more monumental and overwhelming. And this atmosphere leads the compositions from softer, calmer fragments towards very heavy ones, including the very metal-like last seconds of Vale. I can't wait for more of this music, potentially Ex Auditu part 2?

Ex Auditu costs 0.50 EUR.

DDENT - Couvre-sang (2020)

DDENT - TORO (2018)

Check: Vale

Country: France

Genre: atmospheric post-rock

Label: Chien Noir Production

wtorek, 7 marca 2023

Natt - Natt (2023)

Four artists with long musical CVs (including René Misje from the band called Krakow, which is especially interesting for me, a person living in this city) from Bergen joined forces to create an interesting post-rock music album filled with great synthy flow.

This flow is what makes it quite special. The Norwegians decided to build the album out of three, long compositions and the synth sounds are what keeps them together and make it so ridiculously catchy for the listener. The compositions, although guitar-rich and heavy, feel like instrumental bangers the audience can swallow with one bite. Even though the last, 20-minutes-long track develops very slowly, the smooth post-rock it eventually produces is super satisfying. This flow plays perfectly with the rather slow pace of the guitar music, making the whole experience feel like loud honey poured into your ears.

Also, it's wort pointing out that the cover art is one of its kind: a beautiful painting that looks like a dark collage and it's something I dig for sure.

Natt costs 7 EUR.

Check: Skillevei

Country: Norway

Genre: synth post-rock

Label: Edged Circle Productions

:facebook:

Hubris. - Metamorphosis (2020)

piątek, 3 marca 2023

Ropes Inside a Hole - A Man and His Nature (2023)

Ropes Inside a Hole (or RIAH as they were previously known) started their career five years ago with a debut album called Autumnalia. Now, after some important changes in their lineup, they are bound to continue with the sophomore release called A Man and His Nature and it's one to keep your ear on, that's for sure.

They say that the period of the pandemics' slowness and separation gave them better conditions to focus on the music. Another new thing that the album brings, is the number of guest musicians that were invited to collaborate with the band, even from some far away places. This includes classical instruments artists (with cello, violin and saxophone), synth sounds and vocals provided by Daniel Loefgren of Suffocate For Fuck Sake. The results are pretty impressive. The lively, energetic post-rock is combined here with slower, moodier pieces with vocals (as in Distance) and the saxophone sounds (Feet in the Swamp, Gaze to the Sky). This combination works like charm and makes it very difficult not to feel entertained throughout the album's playlist. And for me, it makes it possible to call this music an ambitious art post-rock that wants to expand beyond the guitar-defined borders of the genre.

A Man and His Nature costs 7 EUR.

Check: Loss and Grief

Country: Italy

Genre: art post-rock

Label: Voice of the Unheard/Shove Records

środa, 22 lutego 2023

Hubris. - The One Above (2023)

Thanks to great three albums and, at least as importantly, their love for performing live (really, check out how many gigs they had last year!), the Swiss band of Hubris. worked for a label of one of the most interesting new(-ish) post-rock bands in Europe. And they are about to prove it with their fourth album called The One Above.

Their strong side is the ability to make very melodic instrumental music that doesn't lose anything from the post-rock's atmospheric vibes. The tracks are long and their complex compositions fluctuate from softer patterns that feel like some imagination-fueling short stories up to heavy, overwhelming fragments with guitar cascades that can easily crush the audience. And the story-telling part is no coincidence here. The Swiss band have a very distinct theme they like to submerge into in their music, namely, the Ancient Greek mythology and culture. This time, it's all about "exploring the works of Plato and his allegory of the cave". It's worth a while to read their interpretation or, perhaps, to try and develop yours while listening to this post-rock album of the best quality.

The One Above costs 5 EUR (5 CHF).

Check: Of Light

Country: Switzerland

Genre: guitar post-rock